


Short analyzes of human wedding traditions c. 23th century

by Alfer



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alien Marriage Traditions, F/F, Fluff, Friends and family being way too involved in the wedding, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-24 02:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20018437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alfer/pseuds/Alfer
Summary: T'Pring's observations on her and Nyota's human wedding celebrations.





	Short analyzes of human wedding traditions c. 23th century

**Author's Note:**

  * For [summerdayghost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerdayghost/gifts).



_ What curious customs _ . That was the first, vague impression T'Pring had when Nyota explained what she wished to do for the human side of their wedding. Oaths to one another were perfectly logical, the presence of authority, even in the form of Captain Kirk's smiling face; was expected, friends and an abundance of food, these aspects were befitting of a wedding ritual. 

  


Crewmen T'Pring had never interacted with grinning at her and congratulating her as if they were family, or the excited discussions of how to best prepare the after-party, felt strange to her. The occasional pat on the shoulder or half hug was somewhat disconfitting. The tradition of neither bride seeing the other before the wedding, in particular, even if they were already bonded, felt utterly illogical to her

  


But Nyota had stood in the sands of Vulcan, with Captain Kirk and Spock at her side, only smiling as T'Pring hang the gong, as the elder of T'Pring's clan confirmed their bond. A mating bond had began forming months before, the result of late shift conversations and the insistent pull T'Pring had felt towards her human beloved from the moment she had stepped into the Enterprise. Well, beamed into the Enterprise would be more accurate. 

  


She had arrived as Spock's betrothed, there in part to strengthen their childhood bond, but both had know that would not happen. T'Pring resented that tenuous connection and what it had meant at the time, and how it could impact how seriously others took her assignment as the Enterprise's exo-biologist. Once on the starship, however, it had taken her seconds to realize Spock too had no desire to bond with her, his bond to their captain running so much deeper than any else could. 

  


Once their mutual lack of interest in mating had been made clear, T'Pring quickly grew to see Spock as a friend, and their thin bond was unmade with no harm to the other. And it was him who first nudged T'Pring into accepting those nascent, illogical, even somewhat terrifying feelings for Nyota. For that, they both owned him much. 

  


A light green blush spread over her cheeks, and T'Pring was glad to be alone for now, waiting for the commemoration to begin. Her pon farr had come far away from the sands of Vulcan, but she had yearned for Nyota, and her beloved had answered. The memories of that first physical union made T'Pring smile. 

  


There was a matching feeling coming from that silvery thread T'Pring imagined their bond to look like, Nyota's amusement a ray of light, her excitement shining through all else. They would see each other in moments, but they had not stopped sharing this, their true self known to none other, for a moment. 

  


In a gown of traditional Vulcan cut, hair high in twisted braids, T'Pring stepped through the doors to the common rest area, made into a makeshift isle. Crewmen lined the sides, her colleagues of the science department, all blue and a few gold who had interest in the area and often discussed matters with her to one side, a sea of red and more gold on the other. T'Pring could have taken a few observations over the possible anthropological reason for the divide, but her eyes landed on Nyota, and all else faded away. 

  


She stood at the altar, resplendent in a yellow shoulderless dress, the grin on her face bringing a matching smile to T'Pring's carefully stoic face. Their friends and colleagues hollered and cheered as T'Pring walked towards Nyota, stopping in front of her.  _ Hello beautiful,  _ Nyota's words whispered in her mind as soon as their hands touched, only a light brush against T'Pring's knuckles, her shining dark eyes brimming with tears T'Pring now knew were born of happiness. 

  


_ T'hy'la,  _ that was all T'Pring could answer with, Vulcan composure almost failing her as her own and Nyota's feelings flooded her mind and heart. Captain Kirk, grinning much like a madman, took his post before them and called a beginning to the ceremony. 

  


His speech must have been impressive, there was laughter and tears not long into it, and Spock had told her he had been preparing the words carefully for weeks now, but T'Pring did not hear a word of it, lost in Nyota's gaze. 

  


There was a modification to the human tradition, as the ceremony neared its end and Kirk announced they may 'kiss the bride', Nyota raised her hand, extending two fingers. T'Pring did the same, touching her own to Nyota's. For a moment, that simple sign of affection was all there existed in T'Pring's world, their bond, their love all that she could feel. Then the room exploded in cheers again, almost making T'Pring jump. It was Nurse Chapel and Chief-Engineer Scott who cheered louder, or maybe they were just easier to distinguish. 

  


A sudden mischievous impulse came to T'Pring, maybe an impulse left from her pre-Surak ancestors. Whenever it came from, she let it flow to Nyota, waiting her agreement or disagreement to the idea. Her beloved's eyes widened, and her answer came in the form of their hands clasping together, just as T'Pring leaned forward and met Nyota's lips in a fierce kiss. Later, when asked, T'Pring would say it was only logical, Nyota had followed all of T'Pring's culture wedding traditions, thus T'Pring should do the same for Nyota's human marriage traditions. 

  


Vulcans did not lie, and that would not be a lie. Only not the whole reason for such a public display of intimacy, for the impulse that came over T'Pring in that moment had been to claim and be claimed, to show all present, in as clear a manner as possible, that she was Nyota's and Nyota was hers. Truly, it was no surprise her ancestors developed Koon-ut-kal-if-fee. Even outside her  _ pon farr _ , in that moment, T'Pring was ready to fight any who would challenge their claim. 

  


-

  


Luckily, no combat would be necessary. Their kiss had only caused louder cheers, and what sounded suspiciously like bets getting settled, before the after-party began. It turned into what T'Pring could only describe as a revelry. 

  


The Enterprise had stopped at a Starbase to refuel not long ago, and it seemed their comrades had taken the opportunity to also stock up on enough alcohol to kill them all if needed. Chief-Engineer Scott had gathered a gaggle of younger engineers around him as he proclaimed the virtues of one kind of human beverage over all else. 

  


"What do you think of our weddings, now we've done both of them," Nyota draped herself over T'Pring, arm around the tall Vulcan's shoulders, pressing her face against T'Pring's neck. A pleasant shiver ran through T'Pring's spine, an arm coming up to wrap around Nyota's waist and help her stand. Her mate was quite affected by the alcohol, much like the entirety of their ship's crew. 

  


"I believe both ceremonies reflect well on our peoples' histories," T'Pring allowed a rare smirk to come over her features, knowing the effect it would have on Nyota, "but I dare say your human feast is closer to a barely controlled riot." There was a good chance, T'Pring was willing to bet, that either Doctor McCoy or Captain Kirk would soon lose at least their shirts. They were already drunkenly singing some form of sea shanty, badly adapted to the void of space instead of the ocean. 

  


Nyota snorted in a very undignified but endearing fashion, her lips brushing T'Pring's neck, first accidentally, then deliberately. Maybe the human revelry was getting to her too. Shame she could not blame the drinks for her reactions like their friends would. 

  


Nyota pulled away enough to see what the others were doing, her grin turning to full laughter. T'Pring hid her own smile against Nyota's black hair, emotion fit to burst inside her chest. She had half a mind to take her mate back to their quarters and consummate their bond for a third time in official capacity, but Nyota left her arms to join their Captain and Chief of Medicine on a truly horrendous rendition of Drunken Sailor. 

  


"They will regret the drinking in a few hours." Spock had appeared at her elbow, hands behind his back and posture stiff. Even so, there was a small upturn to his lips, a sense of contentedness to him that T'Pring recognized with a start was present in her too. 

  


A sense of comradeship was to be expected once one became part of a crew, but this? T'Pring could feel in the tips on her fingers how happy the entire ship was for her and Nyota, could feel every breath Nyota took like it came from her own chest. 

  


Allowing a similar quasi-smile to grace her features, T'Pring agreed with a nod. Soon, she would guide Nyota to their rooms, make sure she had enough water in her, and let her sleep the worst of the night's effects off. But for now, she was content to watch the ways humans celebrated their friends' happiness. 

**Author's Note:**

> Just to make it clear, this is a slight au where T'Pring joined the Enterprise as part of the science division.
> 
> Hope this was a good Just Married fic! It was my first time trying to get into T'Pring's head, she's a tough one.
> 
> Many thanks to Melime for the beta read, and to the organizers of the exchange!


End file.
